Line-ups announced for upcoming Fifa World Club Cup in Abu Dhabi

As many as 30,000 foreign football fans are expected in Abu Dhabi for the event.

Sat 08 Dec 2018 04:28 PM

Real Madrid players Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric are among the football stars that will be represented at the upcoming FIFA World Club Cup in the UAE this December, it has been announced.

On Thursday, all six confirmed teams at the tournament announced their rosters for the tournament, which will take place in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi between December 12 and 22.

The other teams participating in the tournament are Japan’s Kashima Antlers, Espérance de Tunis, New Zealand’s Team Wellington FC and CD Guadalajara from Mexico, along with Al Ain FC from the UAE.

The star-studded Real Madrid line-up for the event also includes Spain international captain Sergio Ramos and French striker Karim Benzema.

The tournament’s seventh team - the winner of the 2018 Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores final between Argentina’s Boca Juniors and River Plate - will be known on December 9.

A full list of the participating players can be found on FIFA’s website.

The tournament begins with a match between Al Ain and Team Wellington at Al Ain’s Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on December 12.

Speaking to Arabian Business in October, Aref Hamad Al Awani, the tournament director of the local organising committee for the Fifa World Cup Club, said that as many as 30,000 foreign visitors are expected in Abu Dhabi for the tournament.

“We evaluate two main things: the economic and media impact. The main concern we are looking at is how to get a return from each event we host, but at same time, tourism is very important to us and to the UAE,” he said.